


At the Core

by Peccatium



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Body Horror, Im sorry Rhys, M/M, Mental Abuse, Mental Health Issues, Physical Abuse, Stockholm Syndrome, mental manipulation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-25 15:55:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12039255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peccatium/pseuds/Peccatium
Summary: Rhys can not escape Jack. Its dark, the hard ground under him. Not that he'd wanted to, but still the chain around his ankle makes it very apparent.Jack walked down the hall to talk to Rhys, smiling slightly. He was so happy to see his favorite boy again. All the horrific things he had done to him in the past didn't matter.But he makes a mistake and things get out of control. Nothing he can't fix though...Rhys isn't sure if he should have wished to die, instead of this twisted act of love and evil intentions.





	At the Core

Rhys didn't know how things had gotten this out of hand. His life just loved to dick him over. After Jack had extracted himself out of Rhys's head everything went to shit. His so called friends - Fiona and Sasha - left him, abandoning him to the brutal force that was Handsome Jack. 

He had really tried to get out of that chair but it was no use. Not even his robotic hand was able to break the restraints and he was left with a nice view of the thing that was going to get shoved inside his body, while the now free megalomaniac was off terrifying the unsuspecting employees on Helios.

When Jack returned from his little killing spree to show that the king was back, he had plans for Rhys. He’d come to the conclusion, that flesh surrounding an endo skeleton wouldn't be very efficient. It would over time rot away and getting a new body every week or so would just be a hassle. So he came up with an even  _ better _ plan.

Rhys’s screams as the modifications were made were music to his ears. Oh how much he hated him and his voice, blabbering away while his useless brain failed at putting even the  _ slightest _ bit of sense into what the hell came out of his mouth. Jack could have sworn he had heard his thoughts while imprisoned in the head of this kid. It made him want to vomit just thinking about it.

Revenge, yes, that was what this was for. Revenge for every goddamn second he had to play the nice guy while stuck with him. But watching Rhys’s cyber arm being ripped off without any kind of anesthetic, was making what he had been through worthwhile. Parts of the metal socket, it had been connected to, teared out chunks of his shoulder, leaving glistening blood running down the cold metal and pooling onto the table he was strapped to.

Jack didn't even put him under as they performed brain surgery, leaving him to cry his eyes out. Wailing and screaming until his voice was nothing more than a disgusting hoarse screech.

After tons and tons of those painful modifications to his cybernetics, that left Rhys begging for them to stop, it was done. Jack now had  _ complete _ control over him. 

Rhys consciousness had been pressed into the furthest place in his mind, though, threw another horrible joke of fate, he could still perceive what was going on around him. He could see how many people Jack killed with  _ his  _ hands. Could smell the blood on the floor, and hear their pleading. Hell, even people he had come to know during his time on Helios, he had considered his friends and coworkers, were soon lying motionless to his feet. Staring up at him with lifeless eyes.

Whenever Jack decided to leave his body to be an entire space station again, he felt empty and cold. He wasn't himself anymore, just a body to be used and waiting for his new occupant to return. He wanted to run, to flee, but he couldn't. Jack made sure of that with a dark and cold, locked up room, where he could do nothing but to huddle into a corner.

Then one day they found something. After a lucky incident - or more like a malfunctioning loader bot smashing holes into walls - a secret lab was discovered. And, as it turns out, Nakayama had been even more of a creep than everyone thought. Not only creating a Handsome Jack AI, but also cloning him. How he got a DNA sample would be forever a mystery, but Jack couldn't be bothered with that, and to be honest, he didn't even want to know. 

A few modifications later and his clone had an ECHOport just like Rhys. And Jack transferred into his new body.

Rhys had thought that now, Jack would finally kill him, and so did the man himself. But over the time he’d been living in the boy, he'd grown weirdly attached to him. He kept him like a pet. On a literal chain. After long days of hard work he would go to him, talk about anything and everything, sometimes making jokes like he was his friend. 

It was nice at first, but the CEO soon started to find an even better way to use him and began to vent his anger on him. In the beginning just in words, but when that wasn't enough anymore, it got physical. Looking down on him while ramming the back of his foot into his stomach or punching, sometimes he even shooting, him.

But he cared for him. Making sure he always said how much Rhys helped him. How useful he was. Petting his hair and treating any wounds he might have caused while telling him how beautiful he was. Maybe even soothing him by telling Rhys how much he loved him. 

He had been broken after Jack lived in his body, and as much as he hated them in the beginning, those small praises were what he lived for. Rhys clung to every word like his life depended on them. Holding on while his body got further abused. 

\--------

He had so many bruises on his skin. Some a deep purple while others looked green or yellow, but all of them were reminders of who he belonged to. Sometimes, when Jack was really pissed off, things would get ugly, but he tended to him, making sure no serious wounds remained. He couldn't let his pet die. Those bruises, he left them on purpose, though.

While Rhys lied on the cold ground, chest heaving from the pain, Jack brushed his finger lovingly through his hair. “Such a good boy. Look how pretty you are with them.” He traced over the most recent wound, carefully. “You know, when I first met you, you were nothing but a disgusting pile of trash, but now… You’re so beautiful. That new cybernetic arm I gave you suits you perfectly, you’re old one, the one  _ you  _ picked out, was just hideous.”

Rhys cast his eyes where Jack's fingers still moved absently over his discolored skin. He smiled weakly. Yeah… he had been so dumb back then.

“Now, let me see your hand. I think I broke some bones. Does it hurt?” he sounded so concerned, carefully lifting up his arm and examining it. Rhys winced as he touched his fingers.

“A little bit…” he said in a small voice. A few fingers must have been broke when Jack had stomped on his hand. Rhys wasn't angry at him though. He was the CEO of Hyperion after all, and had to deal with all the infuriatingly stupid people that worked under him, like Rhys himself had been before Jack came into his life. So he was more than happy to help him blow off some steam.

Jack smiled at him. “You took everything so well. I'm proud of you and how strong I made you. Let’s get you all fixed up, pumpkin.” He took out a healing hypo and gently pressed it to his arm. Soon all the bones were in their right places again, letting Rhys move his finger without even a sting.

“I could just leave you with all the wounds, but I like you enough that I help you heal every time, I hope you know that.” Jack murmured almost to himself.

It was true. If it wasn't for Jack helping him he would have probably died long ago, and he was eternally grateful for such kindness. “Thank you so much, sir.”

“Alright, now that you’re all patched up, I need to go.” Jack said as he stood up. Before he left the room he cast one last look down at him and added “Good night, pet. And sleep well.”

Rhys rolled onto his side, sighing contently. Today was a good day, Jack hadn’t been as angry as other times. Everything he now was, was thanks to Jack, who looked after him and gave him a purpose. Before he had been a lowly programmer who had thought too great of himself to see his endless flaws. But now Jack made sure he was perfect.

In the beginning he could have just killed him, but instead Jack decided that he wanted to live in his body. What a giant honor! Even if the modifications necessary to make it possible had been painful, Rhys was so glad it happened. Then Jack had gotten ridden of all his old “friends”, who were only holding him back before. They were gone and everything that had tied him to his old, worthless, life. 

Rhys fell asleep with a small smile on his lips, thinking of all the things he had Jack to thank for.

\--------

Rhys woken up by the sound of angry footsteps stalking towards the door of his room. There was no clock but it must be early in the morning. Normally he was already awake when Jack came to visit.

Something must have happened.

His thought was confirmed when he saw the downright livid look on his face.

“One of those  _ fucking brainless  _ vault hunters just destroyed a mining station. They stole EVERY.  _ LAST _ .  _ PIECE _ . OF  **_MY_ ** _ ERIDIUM _ !!!” he shouted in rage. 

Before Rhys had even the time to process what was happening an agonizing pain pierced his side and made him scream out in horror.

Jack had shot him with an acid bullet. The chemical was now slowly eating away at his skin, muscles and intestines, making him writhe on floor. Tears fell from his eyes while he sobbed and wailed in pain.

“Shut the fuck _up_! Your voice is still as _god damn_ **_horrendous_** as I remember! Guess you always have and will be _nothing_ but a living pile of **human waste** with nothing but piss for brains! God, I hate you so fucking much! Why haven’t I just _killed_ you already?!” Jack yelled. He punctuated his last sentence with another bullet directly to Rhys’s chest, watching as the acid began to slowly dissolve what remained of his rib cage and lungs after the impact.

Jack words registered only after a view second in his brain. Everything was fogged up by the harrowing pain shooting through his whole body, but when he processed them his eyes went wide in shock.

No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! That couldn't be true. He hated him?! Had he been wrong the whole time? But he always said how much he loved him?! Was that all a lie? 

Oh no… 

Jack had lied to him before, when he was still a hologram stuck inside his brain. He had trusted him only for Jack to betray him over and over and over again. That’s how this whole ordeal had started. Trust and betrayal. Why hadn't he put one and one together?!

Everything had been a lie. 

Jack didn't love him.

For a few seconds the room was filled with nothing but Rhys’s scream until Jack suddenly rushed to his side. “Shit, fuck!” he cursed under his breath, stabbing several healing hypos into various areas of his body, softly whispering to calm him down a bit.

Jack knew all too well that he had fucked up. His anger had gotten the better of him and made him say some things he hadn't wanted to. He was his precious little pet. Jack didn't know what he would do without him. “I’m so,  _ so _ sorry, Rhys. I didn't mean to say those things. I still love you. I always have…” he said softly. 

Rhys wanted to believe those words. Wanted to go back to what was now nothing but a bad fairy tale. But couldn't shake the voice at the back of his head, whispering how everything was a lie. And he knew it was true.

Saying or defying Jack was not an option, though. So he just nodded, a crooked smile that he hoped would convince him, as tried to hold back tears. Only allowing them to fall once he was alone in his room. This time, they weren't from pain.

Jack hated him and that would never change. Even if he had up until now, always made sure not to hurt him too badly, he knew that someday he would be killed by Jack. Maybe on accident, maybe not, but it would happen.

He needed Jack, though. He was nothing without the man, just the broken shell of a former idiot. Without him he would just die instantly, probably tipping over something and bashing his head in. It was a possibility with how clumsy he was.

So maybe he should stay here, letting Jack take care of him. Perhaps Rhys could convince himself that he was just paranoid and thinking too much and Jack did indeed love him… It was only one time, wasn’t it? He had just been angry… and said somethings he didn't mean… Right? That made sense. And the other times… before… Jack didn't know him back then. And now, after spending time with him…

Rhys whimpered. He couldn’t do it. Nothing that Jack had ever said was true. He knew the stories floating around about the man, how violent he was, how he was insane and everything alike. The picture of the hero in shining armor,, who could achieve anything,, was just a bad fantasy he desperately clung to.

But even if he could somehow escape, there was nowhere he could flee to. Pandora would be the easiest location, he just needed to make it to the escape pots and would safely land down on the planet. But it wasn't an option. Everything down there was made to kill and he didn't have the stun baton to defend himself with either. So there was nothing down there that could help him.

No. Wait. 

Vaughn! His friend since he he’d started working for Hyperion! After Vallory and the people working under her had attacked them down on Pandora, Rhys had no idea what happened to his friend. He just kind of disappeared. Maybe he was still alive? Maybe he could find him? 

At this point even the small chance of seeing his best buddy again was enough motivation to try and get out of Jack’s grasp.

Everytime he got the chance he worked on breaking the restraint on his ankle, that tied him down. When Jack entered the little room, his heart started racing with the fear of him seeing how several chain links withered away under his tries of cracking them. He always tried to keep them hidden under his body, not even wanting to think of what Jack would do, if he saw that Rhys wanted to flee.

He didn't know how long it took, but when he managed to snap the chain he wanted to start crying out of pure joy. After a few tries his cybernetic arm had been strong enough to break the door and he ran. Ran as fast as his legs could move. 

But they were untrained after sitting and lying around so much that his bones were visible underneath the pale skin. He tried to get to the escape pots, but Jack had already found out that he was gone. 

And he was boiling with rage. 

Sirens were blaring and every door slammed shut while Rhys was running, or rather stumbling, down the hall. Jack must have sent the station under lock down. There was no way he would get to the escape pots now. A few seconds later he could already hear the heavy boots of security personnel stomping after him. 

His breathing was coming in labored bursts but he kept running. With every second his persecutors were getting closer. He couldn't stop. It was already too late. If he was caught he would be killed, probably in a slow and painfully, just the way Handsome Jack liked it.

So even with his heart racing and lungs burning he kept running. He could feel his legs starting to give out under him, but he tried to keep moving even with them quivering from exhaustion. He was so tired. Everything hurt. 

Suddenly his leg caved in and he hit the floor with a thump. Rhys was coughing and gasping for air, too tired to even hold himself up. His vision was swimming, but he could make out several blurry figures coming towards him. 

Soon he could feel himself being roughly dragged along the floor, while he weakly wiggled. He wanted to at show least some defiance, before his demise.

Not long and he was hauled into the massive office, being dropped off right in front of the steps leading to the CEO’s desk.

\--------

Jack had a unique treatment for Rhys prepared. Nothing was too good for his special boy after all. While he watched as security dragged him into his office, he got everything ready before standing on top the stairs threateningly with his shadow looming over Rhys. He flicked the needle with his pointer finger, so no air bubbles would be left in the purple solution.

This… This was for his own good. Rhys was just a bit confused. Maybe because of his little outburst some time ago, but it didn't really matter. Jack needed him to be here and he needed him to love him back. 

After all, everything he had ever done was because he loved Rhys. Sure, in the beginning he was mean and hurt him a lot, but at the time he didn't know how much the boy would later mean to him. He was always there to help him calm down after a busy day. Having someone to talk to, someone to vent to, was what he had needed for a long time and Rhys had always been so happy to help. 

He was perfect in every way after Jack had taken him in. And even if he was a bit defiant right now, that would change. Afterwards things would be just like the old times again. 

Jack looked at the syringe. Purple hues swirling and shimmering. This would make everything perfect again, he thought before he slowly walked down the stairs.

Rhys was lying on the ground in front of him, only holding himself up on his arms. Jack looked into his terrified eyes, kneeling down with a certain uncanny calm look shown on his face. He slowly petted Rhys’s head and quietly said to him that he still loved him so,  _ so much _ , even after he betrayed him. 

And he kept telling him those things as the needle slowly punctuated the skin on his neck and pure eridium flowed into his bloodstream. It made him writhe and convulse at the pain. All while Jack smoothed his fingers down his heaving back, saying that it would be alright, with an affectionate look in his eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea floating around in my head for over a year now, finally got done with it.  
> This chapter alone took me two months, so I hope you're not too disappointed with very slow updates.
> 
> Please tell me if I made any spelling and/or grammar mistakes, thanks! :D


End file.
